Posthole digger



April 15, 1952 BECK ET AL 2,593,245

POSTHOLE DIGGER Filed April 15, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Apr. 15, 1952 POSTHOLE BIGGER Lester E. Beck, Dan'ville, andiLester It. Caliaway,

Burlington, Iowa Application April 15, 1947, Serial No. 74 1,648

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to post hole d'iggers of the type in which an auger is supported upon the frame of a tractor and the rotation of the auger is caused by power derived from the tractor motor. Among the objects of this inven'- tion are the provision of improved means for supporting the auger mechanism upon the frame of the tractor; the provision of improved means for adjusting the auger toward or away from the tractor; the provision of improved means for supporting and drivin the auger; the provision, in a machine of the character indicated, of laydrauli'c' means for raising and lowering the auger; and such further objects, advantages, and capabilities as will hereafter appear and a are inherent in the construction disclosed herein. Our invention further resides in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and, while we have shown therein what is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of this invention, we desire the same to be understood as illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a limiting sense.

In the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part hereof;

Fig. 1 represents a side'elevation of the forward portion of a tractor with the structure of our invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a part of the auger-sup porting means looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the lifting and lowering connection with the .upper end of the auger; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by the line- 5-5 in Fig. 2, showing one means for locking the auger-supporting arm against rotation.

Reference will now be made in greater detail to the annexed drawings for a more complete description of this invention. The tractor is de noted, in general, by the numeral I and is shown as having apair of channels 2 secured to the side frames thereof. A post 3 is secured to one of the channels, preferably by being welded thereto" so that the connection is very rigid. A crosstie or supporting member 4 is located below the engine and secured to the tractor frame. Rising from this cross-tie is a pipe 5 which has a collar 6 rigidly connected thereto. Above the collar 6 is a collar 1 which surrounds the pipe 5 sufficiently loosely that it may turn thereabout to permit the auger and its supporting head to swing forward and back. when such adjustment is desired. The collar I rests on the collar 6 and has a pair 2 of braces 8 secured thereto, these braces being secured to a horizontal arm 9 by bolts, as shown at I0. The arm 9 has a vertical extension II which fits down inside the pipe 5, as is clear from Fig. 2.

Two rods or bars I2 are secured laterally to the arm 9, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, and extend horizontally in the same direction as the arm, furnishing means for supporting a pair of sieeves I3 to which is secured the plate I4, from which depend a pair of interlocking eyes I5, serving as means for suspending. the plate I6. This plate It has an opening I7 therein to receive the edge of the gear I8 which meshes with the pinion I9. The pinion is carried on the shaft 20 mounted in bearings on the plate IS. The shaft is is connec'ted through universal's 2I and 22 and the extensible shaft 23 with the shaft 24 having a pulley thereon. This pulley is connected by a belt 25 with the power take-off of the tractor and it will therefore be seen that the power unit of the tractor may be used to drive the shaft 24, shaft 23, shaft 20, gears I8 and I9, and also the hollow shaft or sleeve 26 which is mounted in suitable bearings on the plate i6 and is afiixed to the bevel gear I8. Since the gear I8 is connected in driving relation with the sleeve 26, the latter will be rotated by rotation of the shaft23. The sleeve 26 is hollow and the opening therethrough is noncircular in cross-section. The shaft or standard 2'! is, likewise, non-circular in cross-section and fits slidably in the sleeve 28 which, when it is rotated, causes rotation of the shaft 21 and the auger 28, which is connected thereto in any well known manner, as by set screws 28a, as shown in Fig. 2, or by any other suitable means.

The auger 28' has a loose head. 29, on the lower face of which isa bearing housing 30 in. which the upper end of the auger may turn. as" best shown in Fig. 4, the bearing housing. 30 seats against a shoulder IOI, formed by a reduced end I02 of the auger 28. The end I02 extends upwardly through the bearing housing 30 and carries a; set screw collar I03 which holds the trans-- in'g 'rot'atably in place on the upper end I02 of the auger. The bearing between the housing. 30 and the upper end portion of the auger 28 is shown as a plain bearing I05, but it may take the'form of a ball: or 'a-roller bearing, if desired. It is to be understood that the above described means is only representative of any suitable means for effecting a raising and lowering connection with a rotatable part, such; as the auger 28. If desired, this raising and lowering connection may be like that shown in U. S. Patent .No. 2,400;478-, issued May 21, 1946, to Lester E. Beck.-

A yoke 31 is-secured to the head 29 by :U-bolts;

as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. This yoke 3I is connected rigidly to the piston rod 32 of the hydraulic or pneumatic mechanism 33 so that when air or oil is admitted through the hose 34 to the upper end of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, the piston and auger will be pushed downwardly, and when air or oil is admitted through the hose 35 to the lower end of the cylinder, the auger will be raised. The controlling valve for the hydraulic mechanism is indicated at 36, and this is operated by the lever 31 within easy reach of the driver sitting on the tractor seat. Brackets 38 are secured to the plate I6 and the hydraulic mechanism and support the latter in parallel relation with respect to the auger and its shaft 2?. Since these elements are parallel there will be no binding thereof drivingly fits the shaft 21. The hearings on the plate I6 permit the sleeve 26 to be rotated. and the fingers 43 prevent the driving torque from rotating the plate I6. When the hole is dug deep enough, the valve setting in the box 36 is changed, causing the auger to be lifted.

It is of course understood that the specific description of structure set forth above may be departed .from without departing from the spirit of this invention as disclosed in this specification and as defined in the appended claims.

Having now described our invention, we claim:

1. A machine for the purpose described comprising, in combination, a post for support substantially vertically upon a tractor, an extension when the piston rod 32 is. extended or retracted.

A bracket 40 is mounted on the arm 9 and serves as supporting means for the lever 4| which is pivotally connected, as at 40a, in Fig. 3, there to. At its opposite end, the lever M has a link 42 connected thereto, and this link is operatively connected to the plate I4, secured to the sleeves I3 which, as stated above, slide on therods or bars I2. Guiding fingers 43 extend upon opposite sides of the link 42, between the rods I2. These fingers 43 are connected to a bracket H3 which is affixed, as at I I I, to the plate I6, which is best shown in Fig. 2. Since the fingers 43 are spaced laterally inwardly from the interlocking eyes I5, which suspend the plate I6 and associated parts from the plate I4, the fingers 43 cooperate with the link 42 to prevent the plate I6 and associated driving mechanism from turn-' ing about a vertical axis when the auger is driven. A slidable dog Me on the lever 4| may engage in any one of a plurality of notches 44 in a flange 45 of the bracket 49, thus holding the plate I4 in adjusted position. A second lever 46 is afiixed to a lug I91, as shown in Fig. 5, which is welded to the arm extension II and has latching means in the form of a detent I33 and a notched sector I93 which is affixed to the upper end of the pipe '5. This latching means,

which is per se conventional, serves to hold the arm 9 against inadvertent rotation relative to thesupporting pipe 5.

When it is desired to drill a post hole, the auger is adjusted, as by properly manipulating the levers 4| and 46, to a position over the spot wherethe hole is'to be formed, and then the lever 31 is operated to open the proper valve in the valvecontroller 36 to cause the auger to be-lowered. Now, when the clutch is thrown in to cause driving from the tractor power takeoff, the auger is rotated. In order to cause lowering of the auger, the fluid pressure is turned into the top of the cylinder 33, and this forces the shaft or piston rod 32 downwardly. The yoke 3| is connected rigidly to the lower end of the shaft 32 and it therefore goes downwardly with the shaft of the hydraulic mechanism. The yoke 3I is connected to the plate 29' of the housing 33 in 65 which the upper end of the auger 28 is rotatably received. Thus, when'the power cylinder forces the'housing3fi downwardly, theauger' 28 will be forced downwardly also. to enter the ground too quickly, the power cylinder 33 may be used to restrain and control its downward movement. If needed, a suitable bit 01' head may be affixed to the lower end of the shaft 21' when operating in especially hard ground. The shaft '2'! slides within the'driving sleeve 26, which is hollow andwhich, internally,

said extension, bars connected to said arm upon opposite sides thereof, a supporting element for an earth auger slidably connected to said bars, a vertically arranged plate suspended from said supporting element, a pair of shafts mounted on said plate, one arranged vertically and the other horizontally, supports on said plate for said shafts, driving gears connecting said shafts in driving relation, driving means for driving said shafts, a shaft of non-circular configuration in cross-sectionslidable through the vertically. ar-

' ranged shaft or sleeve and connected thereto with the first mentioned vertically arranged shaft, an earth auger connectedto the shaft of non-circular cross-section for vertical motion therewith, brackets connected to and extending laterally from said plate, and a hydraulic mechanism supported by said brackets and connected. to said auger to cause raising and lowering of the auger.

2. In a power driven post hole digger, substantially horizontal means for supporting an auger for substantially horizontal adjustment toward or away from a tractor, means for supporting the first means on a tractor, a plate pendulantly supported edgewise from the first means and having an auger shaft supported alongside thereof for vertical movement with relation thereto, means for rotating said shaft,

ward or awayfrom the tractor.

If the auger tends r LESTER E. BECK. LESTER R. CALLAWAY.

. f iiEFEa noEs CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,369,941 Smith Mar. 1, 1921 1,370,430 Goldner Mar. 1,192 1 1,479,310 Monroe Jan. 1, 1924 2,400,478 Beck May 21,1946 2,415,572 Jaques Feb. 11, 1947 I FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country Date 285,418 Great Britain Aug. 23, 1928- 

